Collapsed sewer pipe in Kingston could cost $400K to fix

KINGSTON — A collapsed sewer pipe near Gilead Street could cost $400,000 by the time its finally replaced, the city engineer said Thursday.

James Nani

KINGSTON — A collapsed sewer pipe near Gilead Street could cost $400,000 by the time its finally replaced, the city engineer said Thursday.

A new section of pipe was scheduled to arrive Thursday afternoon to replace the 175-foot section of 24-inch clay pipe that collapsed sometime before July 7, city engineer Ralph Swenson said. The repair work is costing $10,000-$15,000 a day.

With more work ahead, Swenson said the project will be costly.

"$300,000 to $400,000 is certainly conceivable," Swenson said.

Baker Brothers of West Hurley continued working Thursday; crews have installed a temporary bypass. Swenson said just a small amount of sewage is now leaking into the nearby Twaalfskill Creek.

Before it was discovered, the city had estimated 500,000 gallons of sewage a day had been going into the creek, which feeds into the Rondout Creek. The city began chlorinating the water after it was discovered.

Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo said he has asked Alderman-at-large James Noble to establish a special committee to deal with storm water issues. The city has several costly infrastructure headaches mounting in Kingston.

About a mile away on Washington Avenue, a 75-foot-long, 30-foot-wide and 10-foot-deep sinkhole on one of the city's most popular thoroughfare will cost city taxpayers $2.48 million and the street won't open to traffic until the end of 2013.

The special committee would do a cost-benefit analysis and help to prioritize drainage issues in Wards 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9, said Gallo. Gallo said the Gilead Street project would probably be bonded and has already cost roughly $60,000.

Meanwhile, Ulster County Department of Health officials said they've tested waters at Kingston Point Beach Tuesday for harmful bacteria, and say levels fall below state requirements, despite criticisms from the environmental group Riverkeeper.

"This discharge will not be adversely affecting the Rondout," said Shelley Mertens, a health department official.